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i should note this is not the end of the LP, there's some post-game stuff that unlocks that we're going to be seeing next week that answers a few more questions and fleshes a little more out 
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May 27, 2023 02:20
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Woohoo!
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May 27, 2023 02:54
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You know, for all the issues with monkey being a sociopath that hid it until the very end, I did really appreciate the line she had where she called someone a coward for immediately jumping in and attempting life saving first aid. As if being afraid of monkey was the only reason to do so. It's probably the only place I did feel it worked because it paints the idea of helping someone else for their own sake as something completely alien to monkey.
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May 27, 2023 03:13
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Hell yeah, Sheep! 
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May 27, 2023 03:42
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Hell yeah, Sheep! Other than the weird ending for Horse and the fact you can't BFF Dragon on the good end, I think most of these are pretty good/cute. Lol at Bunny being any sort of reformer tho.
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May 27, 2023 04:41
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Leraika posted:Hell yeah, Sheep! Other than the weird ending for Horse and the fact you can't BFF Dragon on the good end, I think most of these are pretty good/cute. Lol at Bunny being any sort of reformer tho. Remember that actual Bunny and Monkey's version of Bunny are different. Monkey's version was slimy to the end and kept his head low to avoid pissing off the people in charge. The real one had apparently been gathering confidants against Bowen before the game even started.
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May 27, 2023 18:13
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I think people have trouble remembering that the Zodiac Race section, except the true route, is all a simulation filtered through Monkey's hyper-cynical view. In other words, the cast are better people than Monkey gives them credit for.
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May 27, 2023 20:00
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From the first page:Regallion posted:Also, snake is literally this meme, right? It turns out this was Monkey all along.
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May 27, 2023 20:27
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wologar posted:It turns out this was Monkey all along. not only that, it also reveals that Monkey had so little self-awareness that she assigned that personality to another character within the game than herself. oof.
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May 27, 2023 20:41
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Tallgeese posted:I think people have trouble remembering that the Zodiac Race section, except the true route, is all a simulation filtered through Monkey's hyper-cynical view. Tbh I feel like this angle was super underutilized. A huge proportion of the story was told as an unreliable narrator’s imagination but almost everything ended up being correct and true anyway except for some minor points
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May 28, 2023 00:01
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King of Bleh posted:Tbh I feel like this angle was super underutilized. A huge proportion of the story was told as an unreliable narrator’s imagination but almost everything ended up being correct and true anyway except for some minor points Hard agree. While the whole cast was subtly different from her perception, they weren’t all *that* different— the main divergence point is still Dog being hard to predict.
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May 28, 2023 01:14
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I mean, Monkey knew all their backstories and history, like Tiger's anger issues or Dragon's impulsiveness. She did things like slip Horse's mask into his pocket before he woke up. So in a sense, she had done the research. But she still got things wrong.
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May 28, 2023 01:27
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She got the motive and character wrong, which makes all the differences in the world. Everyone ended up fully committed to throwing down with her and none of them lost control even as she tried to press their buttons. Not that provoking Sheep made much sense, in her galaxy brain predictions she got shanked by Sheep 1v3 
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May 28, 2023 04:38
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Unreliable narrator also means all the weapon silliness is Monkey just being bad at knowing how different weapons work, I guess. "Snake will be the origami cat killer" is quite the supposition.
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May 29, 2023 13:22
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bewilderment posted:Unreliable narrator also means all the weapon silliness is Monkey just being bad at knowing how different weapons work, I guess. Remember the twin pistols? 
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May 29, 2023 21:45
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 Now that the game has been beaten proper, a side menu opens up from the main screen. We're going to be seeing what's behind the first part of that side menu in this update... [BGM: Weak Pig]   Woah, what's going on! I was hacking a computer, and... I... I'm back at my home? Wait, who are you? You– ...My head... it hurts... What's going on?? …The dialogue sprites aren't changing as far as the LP goes because it's only for this update, but just pretend the strange shift is active until a screenshot shows otherwise.  Okay, okay cool. Looks like it worked. Hey there, glad I was able to make it. I imagine you might have some questions, yeah? Yeah, that's fair. Okay, what do you want to ask?This update is the first of a series of “interviews” that can be unlocked by accomplishing different things over the course of the game. This first one simply unlocks for getting the “true” ending, so I figured it'd be the best place to start. That said, there's probably a question we should get out of the way immediately, and that would be... What's going on here?  Well, Pig here is in purgatory, as are a number of characters who are either dead or near-death. But... I'm not Pig. I'm the creator of the story you just experienced.That's right, we're actually interviewing Themis in this update. And I also wanted to answer some questions about everything. Only problem is... I don't exactly have a body to inhabit for the interview. So, well, Pig was just sort of sitting here... and it's not like she really had a lot of deep revelations to reveal. You could say that this is a bit too meta, and to that, I'd ask you how else you'd handle this. You could also say that this is just stupid, and to that I'd just sort of shrug. I mean, fair. But we're already here, so...What inspired all of this?  If the disjointed nature of all the routes didn't give it away, there was a lot of different inspirations at play. In a sense, all the media I've consumed up until this point had a hand in creating this. But if I had to narrow it down to a few... I mean, I'd be remiss to not start off by mentioning the inspiration I took from a certain trilogy of death games. Honestly, a lot of the DNA of various visual novels is incorporated into this game, but that's the most direct inspiration. There was this one show, which I don't think was even that amazing, but it was a battle royale based on the Chinese zodiac animals. I was already interested in them, but that series definitely brought them back to mind.They're talking about Juni Taisen here, which was originally a novel written by Nisio Isin that got a solidly “fine” anime adaptation. Also, the film 12 Angry Men was a big inspiration. I know that sounds weird, but a big thing is that this Zodiac Trial is actually the second version of this story I've done. Originally, it was a short, regular novel... and it was a lot different from this story. It had a different setting, different game mechanics, a different backing plot, different twists, and mostly different characters. But it had a similar premise, and I thought it was a strong one. When it came to creating a visual novel – a visual novel with a limited number of people and locations – well, I knew adapting that first version of the story could work. And... so I did. The original version was a little more streamlined. I think it incorporated all the elements into one story a bit smoother... but that was a short novel, and this was a big, sprawling visual novel. Overall... I far prefer this version.What happens next?  I assume you're asking what comes next in the story, right? Well... the thing is... There's no way I'm going to tell you that! I mean, if I did that, there'd be no way to tease for a sequel, huh? And besides that, I don't think you ever really want to hear everything that happens in a character's life after the story ends. Really? I don't want to answer this question at all. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some thoughts on the matter. Like Ox mentioned, Rooster recovered. He's definitely going to jail, definitely going to try and repent. But he's still alive. Mouse is definitely going to keep in touch with some of the members of the Zodiac Race. I mean, how could you not? But it's not like after everything is said and done, Hightower is fixed or anything. It's a broken city, and these events were the start of change, not the end of it. There are definitely a few loose ends in the story as is. And I think it'd be wishful thinking to assume Mouse's troubles are over, regardless of what she did with that flashdrive. ...But I think that's all I'll say on the matter.What should I take from all of this?  I dunno, whatever you want to take from it. Death of the author and what have you. I'm a little unclear about what that question even means. Are you asking me to try and spell out the moral of this story? Because... I don't really want to do that. I don't even think this story has a moral, at least, not an explicit one. And whatever is there, I want people to take it their own way. You know, in the original Zodiac Trial, I made a big point to give all the characters a case against them, and a defense. I explicitly wanted to leave it open to the reader's opinion who was worse than who, who was more culpable than who. Even the Mastermind could be argued in favor of. Now, in this version of the story, I'm a little less inclined to treat all characters equally. If you think Mouse, Bunny, and Monkey all have equal levels of culpability, well... that's certainly not what I was going for. But I still think there's a lot of room for interpretation in this story... about a lot of things. Ultimately? Take what you want from all of this. If you wanted a fun story with puzzles and mystery cases, I hope you enjoyed the tricks and riddles spread throughout the game. If you were looking for an interesting character study, I hope everyone's backstories and interactions gave you enough. If you were looking for a serious tale with themes of free will or justice, I hope there was enough content of that nature for you to chew on. If nothing else... I hope you found something worthwhile in all of this.So... how do I unlock the other interviews?  The other interviews, huh? Let's see... Well, Dog's always been a sucker for games, but also puzzles. If you get all the puzzles found in this tale correct, he's sure to talk.In other words, to unlock his interview, you would have to actually enter the correct solution in every puzzle – that's why the game doesn't directly tell you the answer if you get it wrong. Beneath everything, Rooster does really care. If you give everyone a happy ending – or, at least, give a happy ending to everyone who can get one – he's sure to appear.In other words, to unlock his interview, you have to make sure to pick the “correct” answer when talking to everyone during the second game, which is why that's important. Then... there's Monkey. She's partial to those who imitate her in some way. If you run through all the possibilities, just like her... collect a full deck... She's bound to have something to say....In other words, to unlock her interview, you have to see every single ending card in the game. If you talk to those three, there's one more person who you should probably speak with. They're the final unlock.The final interview unlocks after you go through both this one and the ones listed above. Oh, but actually, between you and me... If you talk to everyone, there's a chance you can listen in on... someone else. Someone not really a part of this story. But... that's only possible to those who haven't received help. It's possible that that option's already gone for good. And if that's right, don't feel too bad. ...That one's really not someone you need to be listening to.I wonder what the deal with that one is?  No more questions. See you around!
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May 30, 2023 00:15
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Wait, is the trilogy of death games Danganronpa, or 999?
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May 30, 2023 02:02
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I think the 999 series is the inspiration. There's puzzles and exploding devices strapped to people. The trick Dragon uses to survive her route is also a 999 thing.
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May 30, 2023 03:50
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So, we've already cleared the requirements for the other interviews; is there a hint system in the game, and the last bit (which I'm guessing is a sequel hook) is for never using it?
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May 30, 2023 15:32
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 [BGM: Dog Days]   … Well, this is... unexpected. Alright, I'll bite. What's going on? ...Questions? I'm the one supposed to be answering questions? Feel like I got a couple questions myself – why I'm not dead being the principle one. But you know, whatever. Screw it. Ask away.Why'd you even ever become friends with Oliver?  I dunno. On the force, there weren't a lotta good options. He seemed decent enough. Could play cards, went drinking with me. Funny enough, nice enough, good with a conversation. If I had some dramatic story about our bond, about how he saved my life in the line of duty, well, maybe it would've made my actions more understandable. But nah, we really just hung out because we worked together. Few years of that, you start calling yourselves friends.Do you regret not doing anything about all this for so long?  Duh. If you have to ask someone if they regret something, the answer's usually yes. Doubly so if the person you're asking is dead – triply so if the person you're asking was murdered. And if they were murdered for something relating to said mistake? Then 100 times yes, they regret it. If you want to know why I didn't do anything for so long, I guess I'd chalk it up to a sense of helplessness. By the time I really got the full picture of everything, I was a washed up drunk who ran a bar. Not exactly the type to have a lot of influence in any real way. Even knowing the situation, it's not like I knew how to stop it. I didn't know what to do, and I knew that whatever I should do, I probably couldn't. I'd have to go against my friend Oliver – not that I was overly loyal to him. But, more importantly... unnecessary meddling could easily get me killed. ...Well, I ended up getting killed regardless, so... Anyways, it wasn't the right approach. I knew that. But if Oliver had the sin of envy, mine was the sin of sloth. Wasn't til Brian, with his sin of wrath, made a move that I decided to get off my rear end and do something.Did anything specific make you quit the police?  Nope. I mean, I could tell you the story of the case that broke the camel's back. It was an awfully sordid affair, involved a money-laundering scheme and this girl with white hair. To be honest, some parts of that case still confuse me. But to emphasize that one would be missing the point entirely. The thing that got me, the thing that always gets people, is never one incident. It's the constant incidents, piling up one after another, until it's too much to take. It wasn't some moral stance. It wasn't a practical measure. I was just... tired. And tending bar was easier.Are you upset at how everything played out?  Where exactly do you get off asking a dead person something like that? Yeah, seeing as my head's currently filled with lead, I'm not thrilled. I mean, I make jokes and all, but end of the day I'd still prefer to be alive. Eh, but that's life I suppose. If my death, if my interference helped shake things up, even somewhat... Well then, I guess it's fine.Is there anything you never got a chance to say?  I mean, there's plenty of things I never got to say. But nothing profound or anything like that. If anything, I'd apologize to Brian maybe? Tell off Oliver... say a couple goodbyes... Nothing out of the ordinary.Any advice?  You're asking me for advice? Wow. I don't even have something funny lined up for that. All I can say is to learn a little something from me. I did nothing for a long time, and things got bad. Then I did something, and I died. Both those outcomes kinda suck. But which one's cooler? ...Yeah, thinking about it more, I'm satisfied with how I went out. I made an impact. You should try to as well.No more questions. Later.
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May 30, 2023 23:11
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ZCKaiser posted:is there a hint system in the game, and the last bit is for never using it? the hints are at the final section where you can get a breakdown of some of the dialogue/rules from earlier in the game. it's one of the menu options, but using it locks the final bit out permanently. themis said that when they got some people to beta read they were struggling to successfully figure the full sequence of correct answers out and thats why they implemented it, but that they wanted there to be a reward of some kind for not having to use it. what that reward is... we will see at the end of the week!
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May 30, 2023 23:13
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Mix. posted:
someone explain the reference for me, please and thank you
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May 31, 2023 00:36
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Dog's cool. Probably my most liked character by the end of the game. A shame he couldn't have lived over someone who was narratively useless like Horse, but them's the breaks.
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May 31, 2023 02:26
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 [BGM: Rooster Style]   ...Ugh. This dream again. Either let me fully wake up or die, keeping me in this limbo is just lame. Well, no use beating around the bush I guess. Hi there, it's me – Rooster. You're here for the interview I presume?How did you get into acting?   How most people get into acting. I saw actors on the television, and just wanted to emulate them. It seemed like a fun job. A dream job. It's like any job you wanted to have as a kid – just like becoming a pop star, or an astronaut. Only difference, I suppose, is that I never grew out of it. Whether you want to chalk it up to naivety, stubbornness, or determination depends on how much credit you're willing to give me. To be fair, I clearly was up to the challenge. I was always a performer. I loved making people react how I wanted them to. I also learned how to lie at a young age, which, er, helped. My parents were more than willing to sign me up for acting lessons. And I was good at it. I killed school plays, improv clubs, I even made very high-quality home videos. Also, if I'm being honest... while I'm not exactly dumb, I certainly didn't do good in school. So in a sense, it felt like acting was my only way forwards. And I had no reason to believe that it wouldn't work. After all, I'd never really been faced with any real sense of adversity before in my life. Things would just continue to work out. ...Until that one argument.With total honesty, how was your career going?  I hyped myself up, sure, but I definitely was on the right track. To be clear, there was a real rough stretch in my life after I got cut off by my parents. Took a lot of odd jobs I might've considered “beneath me”. Really douchey way of viewing things, huh? Yeah, well... it was what it was. Eventually though, I was able to get onto my feet. Landed a couple commercials. Small time poo poo, but even that was huge for me. At the time, I was also working with a bunch of people I met in film school. I encouraged them to make their own projects, and landed starring roles in them. The films themselves didn't do entirely well, critically or commercially. However, my performances were legitimately praised. There's not a lot I pride myself on. But I am a good actor. Don't get it twisted. I had enough heat to start landing minor roles in actual shows. I even got to be a minor character in a pretty big movie. I was on my way up! ...Before I got in my own way. But you know, I've never been the patient type.In your own words, what happened with Amadeus Bowen?  Amadeus Bowen. That bastard. The first time I met with him, it was under the pretense of asking for a product placement deal in one of the smaller films I worked on. And... even if I didn't already know what I knew, I would've writtten him off as an rear end in a top hat. He spoke with an overwhelming sense of smugness. Entitlement. The worst part about it was that he seemed charming... at first. Beyond closed doors, he was a suave, funny, affable fellow. He treated me very kindly. ...At first. But after negotiations began, after he completely wrote off my offer, my use? He stopped trying to hide the sense of superiority he felt. I became... obsessed with that man. Online, I dug deep, found countless horror stories of his sins. Some of them, maybe most of them, they were probably made up, but I just wasn't seeing that at the time. Far more concrete was the research I did on him. The private investigators I hired to dig around. The man hid his tracks well, I'll tell you that, but I had some backdoor savings I had kept ever since I was cut off, to be used at my lowest low point. To me, researching Amadeus was a worthwhile way to spend that money. You get a good guy from outside Hightower, give them time, give them some leads, and they'll get quite a bit. Not enough to go to the court, barely enough to go to the press, but enough to fit what I knew. I don't know when I decided to murder him. It began as my personal 'investigation' of him, the next step. It was paramount to stalking. At some point... I saw a perfect opportunity coming up. And by the time I followed him and Aaron to the bar, I felt like I couldn't turn back.How did the Zodiac Trial plan come about?  … It wasn't about boosting my career. I... want that to be clear. I could've made it on my own. … Hey, you know those shows where some plucky teenager, maybe a group of teenagers, they're faced with some horrible secret? Usually it's something they did, something they're responsible for. And then for a number of episodes it creates drama, you know, 'will the secret come out?' And almost invariably, unless you're in a certain genre, the secret will be exposed, and then there will be fallout. You know why that happens? It's because the writers want to give those teens 'good endings'. You know what a true curse is? It's not getting your comeuppance. It's having to live, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Humans are great at adaptation. With most things, enough time passes, you forget about it. You live with it. But if you do what I did? Commit a murder conspiracy on a high profile person like Amadeus, and get someone else executed for it? Not a day went by, not even a couple hours, where a pang of fear didn't randomly clutch at my heart. I was constantly reminded of how fragile my existence was. How, at any moment, it could all come tumbling down. It was maddening. I mean that literally, I was going insane hiding that secret. And when I thought of the person who saw me right in the act of stealing the card, the kid who knew something was wrong, the man who was one more detailed testimony from cracking open my plan? You should know, once you kill one person, you're no longer a person. You're a killer. And you can kill again. Murder unlocks options in your brain. When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. And you know, who's gonna miss some criminal leading a violent gang? An old man who's got but so many years left? An unhinged teenager who was already off the deep end? Those people seemed... I don't know. I don't even know why I'm still trying to justify myself... Why are you even asking this question? Next one, please!So... why didn't you get exploded when you failed to input your action in Round 3?  Oh, that. … Wait, why didn't I? Now that you mention it, that's definitely strange. The whole thing was automated, so... Maybe Monkey really cared about me, and never armed my bombs, because she never intended to kill me! ...yeah, right. That said, I'm remembering now. That survival was in fact thanks to yours truly! See, I actually helped design those contraptions before the whole kidnapping thing. Monkey told me they were for dealing with the getaways. Because of that, I knew how to safely disarm them, and so when I had some time to myself in Round 1, I did that promptly. Smart, right?What do you think is going to happen next?  I mean, if I wake up? I could try and fight the legal troubles. I'd probably do so quite well. The first death game was meticulously crafted. Brian did 95% of it, and proving my involvement in any way – it'd be near impossible. The only testimony against me comes from a totally unreliable witness who, by the way, is dead now. And the second death game I actually didn't have anything to do with. Monkey's death is legitimate self-defense, not just for me, but for Mouse and the whole group. No one could fight that. And Amadeus Bowen's murder? The recovered knife with my DNA on it isn't great, I have to admit. But you know, with how corrupted everything around that whole case is, good luck finding a court willing to convict without everything being blown up. Regardless of how the wind blows, the infection in this city is sure to be burned away. And with that gone, I could easily call for a mistrial, and probably succeed. So really, I'm kind of home free. ...But nah, I don't think that's the route I'm taking. Even if I don't get convicted, my life will be over if I wake up. And I've already had my share of hiding secrets. Of acting, 24/7. It'd be best for everyone if I just fessed up and played the repentant sinner.Do you regret anything?  Are you kidding? I regret a whole hell of a lot. I regret getting into the fight I did with my parents. I regret ever getting involved with Amadeus Bowen. I regret getting involved with Monkey. …And I regret getting manipulated by her. I regret letting the Zodiac Trial plan get as far as it did. I regret going along with it once it was in motion. I regret profiting from it when it was over. I regret allowing Monkey to clean up after everything, essentially signing the death warrants of Mouse, Snake, Dragon, and Dog. ….And I regret not immediately outing Monkey when the second death game began. But you know, my two biggest sins? The two people I actually killed with my own hands? I don't think I regret either of those.No more questions. Let's talk again soon.
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May 31, 2023 23:18
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Mix. posted:
Never change, Rooster. Well, past the whole murdering part. But for a character that's easy to write off, Rooster really does cement himself as one of the better characters of the roster. Vaguely interesting that while Monkey keeps her own death to a minimum in her simulations (she only dies when she's a traitor or in Mouse's route), she has no qualms about simulating Rooster to his death even when it's not vital to the story. He's really expendable to her.
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Jun 1, 2023 00:02
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That was a cool interview, I agree that Rooster is among the most interesting charactets. ...it does leave me womdering, while Mouse's route was a simulation, the fact Rooster had 0 beef with her (it was Monkey who wanted her dead to clear loose ends), his speech now about how killing once makes it so much easier to keep killing and the way he acted as a traitor if Rooster was either encouraging Mouse to kill so she could get over it as soon as possible. At the very least his attempts at comforting her might be geniuine based on his experience.
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Jun 1, 2023 00:08
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It's not so much that Monkey intentionally simulated Rooster dying a lot, it was just a path that could be taken, and in a lot of them Rooster just happens to die. If Monkey intended to kill him she could have set it up in the Zodiac Race as a loose end. That, or the Race resulted in her finding out she liked murder.
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Jun 1, 2023 00:08
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oh yeah i forgot to mention til now, but themis did confirm that on monkey's route its not that she had a knife on her the whole time, rooster slipped it into her pockets when he was tying her up after her confession she just never had a need to cut herself loose on the other routes you can encounter where she confesses
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Jun 1, 2023 01:39
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 [BGM: See No Evil]   … Oh, well isn't this fascinating? So, is this hell? I can't imagine it to be heaven. But no, this doesn't seem hellish enough either. Purgatory, maybe? Then are you here to judge my sins? ...To ask me some questions? I can't imagine you'll find my answers satisfactory. Still, you have my attention.Did you ever genuinely like Rooster?   As much as I could genuinely like somebody, yes, I did. I mean, what wasn't to like? He helped me out when I was at a low point in life. He's reasonably good looking. He's... charming, in a dumb sort of way. He was genuinely caring when we were together. And he's quite talented. What's not to like? In earnest, this was a case where the problem wasn't with him, but with me. I mean, why do you think I helped host the Zodiac Trial in the first place? Despite how I may have come across, I am not a complete sadist. And if I was... there are certainly more practical ways to achieve such ends. Admittedly, I pushed both Brian and Rooster towards their conclusions. ...Admittedly, this wasn't the most necessary way to achieve our ends. But it really was motivated, deep down, by a desire to help Rooster. No... 'help' is too kind a word. I was viewing Rooster as a lifelong partner. In that context, it would be advantageous to deal with his problems, and to boost his career. Rooster might think things would've worked out without my involvement, but that's naive. The world rarely rewards talent. You need luck. And in the absence of luck, you need cruelty. Oliver Bowen was still investigating his brother's death. Brian was investigating his father's case. As far as Rooster knew, both Dragon and Snake had testimonies that could hang him. And he was moving nowhere – fast. With a single plan, the three figures who could go against him were taken care of, the police had to double down on their past conclusion, and Rooster was primed for stardom. ...You might think the plan too extreme. But this was something set to fix Rooster's life in a single sweep. To fix a life, you'd think the plan ought to be extreme, no?What was your relationship with Mouse genuinely like?  I admired her, I truly did. She was quite a remarkable woman. Very intelligent, quite self aware. Charming. More than anything, I felt some sense of camaraderie with her. Like me, she was able to shut out her emotions. Don't get me wrong, our conditions were nothing alike. But still, it was more of a connection than I had with most people. I regret putting her through everything. But, well, it was inevitable. I was working on a death game with one client. I needed ways to mitigate personal suspicion. I just so happened to have another client with clear ties to the first, someone who could plausibly be another target. Someone who indicated all the traits those susceptible to hypnosis possess. You couldn't expect me not to make use of the situation. That'd be tantamount to denying fate.How did you get Brian to go along with the plan?  People are really simple. It didn't take much to get him dancing to my pace. So long as I took my time, I could push him to anything. It helped that he was already predisposed to come up with something like the Zodiac Trial. He was motivated, unhinged, intelligent, and vengeful. The perfect combination. So, a careful drip feed of information. Long conversations, careful to implant that he couldn't let my involvement get out in any way. And, once I had successfully sold him on the conspiracy, the slight offering of a solution. Making sure he knew I was on his side. The trick was suggesting the premise before he was ready to act on it, but after he would no longer tell anybody I had suggested it. But reading his progress wasn't hard. Once he came onboard, he actually became harder to control. When discussing the plan, he got all these unnecessary ideas, additional rules, making my 'Demon's' job harder and harder. Overly convoluting a plan. Wonder where he got that from. Anyways, to make it incredibly simple, Brian was a lonely, pathetic, broken kid. He didn't have direction, didn't have a place to turn to. I became his friend. Then I became his confidant. And... once I was his confidant, the one he trusted above everyone else, it was a one-player game. And it was just a matter of time before I had my way.Why host that second death game?  Let me make an assumption. You, like Rooster, believe I was unnecessary in my actions. Perhaps I indulged myself a bit too much. Particularly towards the end. But my actions were not without thought. As I explained at the time, my life of control was dependant on getting rid of loose ends. Simply put, all eleven of them had to be dealt with. Dealing with them individually would be too much of a hassle, and something open-ended like a bombing would lead to more scrutiny. It would lead to my personal survival being in question. Blaming it on a second death game hosted by a deranged follower of Brian was well within the scope of Oliver's influence. And it gave me an out. I'd simply need to claim that the game was cutthroat, and at the last moment, I prioritized my own survival over someone else who tried to win alone. I'd be repentant, an unwilling murderer, and many would malign me. But most would be sensible enough to recognize me as a victim, forced to act by another true villain. Though Oliver and his pawns could control much, for things to be reliable, I needed to make their eventual jobs as easy as possible. And so, I needed the death game to be realistic. I needed the computers coded. I needed the bombs set. And, while it may have been unnecessary to allow things to go on as long as they did, evidence that people had been participating in this death game would certainly help. ...My mistake was murdering Pig. The moment I saw her trying to hack that computer, I should've pulled out the Control Phone and blown everyone besides myself up. If I had to pinpoint it, that was the exact moment I got lost in playing my game. But can you blame me? It was... a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And if anything went wrong, I was a button press away from solving everything. Letting my guard down was inevitable.What were your plans with the flashdrive?  Who's to say? As much as I teased the thought, I highly doubt I would've done anything remotely as bad as the death games again. While I liked to have my fun, I was motivated by quite rational reasoning. Point of order, abusing the flashdrive too much would inevitably lead to my downfall. Simply extorting money would probably be enough. I could live comfortably with freedom, with control. And if I did bore of things? There are plenty of ways for the rich to entertain themselves that don't stoop to such crassness. Really, I was a step away from a Good Ending.What are your thoughts on how everything played out?  Well, as you can imagine, I'm none too pleased with everything. I passed away far too young. I could've lived a long, happy life. Especially if I had that flashdrive. What bothers me the most, I suppose, is that I shall be viewed as some evil monster when all is said and done. Not because of my actions, but because of my motivations. If I organized that first death game not for my own reasons, but because I was head over heels with my true love, and would do anything for him, would that be better? Had I killed Dog from some place of righteous vengeance, having become fed up with injustice, would I merit sympathy? If every detail of the second death game was purely motivated by what would personally benefit me the most, it would be cold-blooded and calculating, but somehow understandable. But, as it stands, I wasn't just evil. I was crazy evil. Tell me, is that a fair way to view things? If you ask me, the man motivated by a petty sense of vengeance, the woman motivated by pure love, they are far more villainous. They clearly possess the ability to do good or evil, and yet they fall to evil. But for someone like me, even if I can comprehend morality as a matter of fact, I could never really feel it. In that sense, isn't it far more justifiable that I'd do such reprehensible acts? ...No, no, no. More excuses. Truth is, there are tons of aneurotypical people in the world. 99.99999% of them live well-adjusted, decent lives. This is not an issue of how my brain works. ...I guess I am just a bad person, huh? An odd revelation to come to so late. Had I come to this conclusion earlier, would any thing have changed? I'm curious....no more questions. I hope I answered your queries to your satisfaction.
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Jun 2, 2023 00:25
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I like that Monkey’s train of thought is cogent, logical (?) and flows in a way where you can understand her moves and reasoning; but doesn’t at all diminish what an awful person she is.
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Jun 2, 2023 00:35
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Disappointing we didn't get answers to the real question the people want to know: "Why pajamas all the time?"
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Jun 2, 2023 01:00
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Wonder who the last interview(s?) are gonna be. Brian would make sense. Maybe even Bowen?
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Jun 2, 2023 03:37
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I do appreciate Monkey's final conclusion that she can't blame her disorder for her actions; in the end, she had as much capability as anyone of both good and evil and she chose evil.
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Jun 2, 2023 14:51
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 The final interview, as said before, unlocks once you've seen the other four, and it is with none other than... [BGM: Rat's Awakening]   … Welcome. I am the Jade Emperor. ...No, no that's not right. Hi, uh, I'm Brian. I've been stuck here, tied to this chair, watching everything unfold on these screens. I guess it's a sort of hell? But... now the screens have turned black, and... you're here. I guess that means you're here to take me to wherever I'm now supposed to go? ...Questions? I mean, sure, if you want. Can't promise you'll like my answers, though.What was Aaron Morris like?  You want to know what my father was like? That's pretty cruel. For the record, he was really great. Don't just take my word for it, many would agree. Yeah, around work he might not have been... the most pleasant. How could you with that sort of job? But, he was as good a dad as I could ask for. He always made time for me. He helped me when I was feeling down. He gave me good advice. He pampered me. He was... he was like a friend to me, more than just a parent. More than anything, he had integrity, he wasn't the type to back down from a fight. He could've taken a plea deal, you know? But he didn't. Because he was innocent. I remember, so vividly, back when his trial was raging. The things said about him on the news, online, they were just... objectively wrong. They made him out to be a bad person, when that couldn't be farther from the truth. I think that's what really cemented my belief in how wrong everything was. The world I saw around me was just... upside down, from my own reality. And I refused to believe that I was the one in the wrong.What's with the butterfly tattoo?  Is the question why I have a butterfly tattoo, or why I have a tattoo at all? To answer the second question, I was feeling particularly rebellious and had some change in my pocket. To answer the former, I've always been fascinated by the butterfly effect. I'd explain it, but... come on, you know what the butterfly effect is. The idea that such minor decisions could ripple into world-altering events... it's both empowering and frightening. It's oddly beautiful. So, if I was going to get a tattoo, I thought a butterfly would be a nice image. There's really not a lot more to it beyond that.How did you come around to hosting the Zodiac Trial?  It's simple, really. I became obsessed with the darkness of Hightower. It enveloped everything else. Which... to be clear, wasn't hard. I never really did good in school. I didn't have any friends. I didn't have any passions or desires, no idea what I wanted to do with my life. After everything that happened, it's not like our family could afford a fancy college or... anything, really. Looking towards the future, there was nothing to reach for. All I saw ahead of me was emptiness. In the face of that, when confronted with something that seemed to me like such a huge problem, such a huge injustice... It seemed reasonable to spend all I had to at least accomplish one meaningful thing. I never made it clear in the game, and I was killed before I could explain myself further, but... it wasn't actually about vengeance. I mean, it was partially about that, for sure. Everyone who I planned to put through the wringer deserved it. But I designed everything so that any reasonable group should be able to get through it with everybody alive. So long as nobody acted incredibly selfish, or hateful, or stupid, there was an out for everybody. My actual motivation was to find the truth. See, I had microphones installed in all the neck devices. By gathering so many people involved with the corruption case, making it clear why they were gathered, and forcing them to both compete and cooperate, well, I figured it was the perfect situation. They were bound to let the truth come out. If I made it clear that that was what I was going for, well, I'd never get anywhere. But in the darkness of all the game mechanics and competition and whatnot, and with their minds very fixated on the event... Maybe it was naive, but I hoped I'd be able to reach the truth. A truth. ...That's all very noble sounding... but I'm not that noble. It was also about vengeance.How did you actually set everything up?  In a word, dedication. Our family wasn't rich, but if you're not looking to the future, you can amass funds pretty easily. Just... sell a lot. The hardest part by far was creating the neck devices. But, there was a metalwork shop not far from my house that was willing to let me work on “projects” with a fair amount of discretion. Actually getting the mechanics to work took the longest time. But, it's the age of the internet. If you're clever enough, dedicated enough, and look online a lot, you can figure out how to do pretty much anything. And... it's not like they were particularly sophisticated designs. Once I designed one, it was all downhill from there. Programming the tablets, the phones, the operating system – that was all child's play in comparison. I knocked that out in a three day weekend. In terms of setting everything up, I did my research on the school ahead of time. Figured out how to get in ahead of time. Figured out what I'd need to set up. Getting a hold of the weapons was... painfully easy. Really should've been harder than it was. And kidnapping as many people as I did? If you do your research, turns out most people aren't prepared to be kidnapped. The thing about kidnapping is that usually the hard part is to do it where you're not caught. But... I knew one way or another my identity would be getting out when all was said and done. The game would take place not long after I kidnapped everyone, so I didn't need to buy that much time. All in all, it was totally achievable. Took a lot of time, a lot of money. But it's a death game, you know – it's not like it'd be easy. Honestly, the fact that I was able to do it all by myself's pretty impressive... at least, in my opinion.Why'd you select who you selected for the trial?  Obviously, I needed to select people worthy of punishment. But if the plan was to work, I needed people of various levels of involvement with the conspiracy. If people were too “on the same page”, there wouldn't be enough conflict, and the truth might not come out. So my selections were well thought out. Mouse was supposed to be Richard Brill, the judge behind the case. His decisions in my father's trial were so inept that he was either deeply corrupt or terminally stupid. Either way, he had earned his place. Ox was a prosecutor whom I had every right to believe was in on the conspiracy. He was the one most responsible for my father's death. The choice of Tiger was a bit off the wall, but I think it was inspired. Not only was her testimony – the one about my father holding the weapon – clearly bullshit, but she had an interesting history. She was unstable, possibly dangerous, having killed her mother. But then she got away scot-free. Probably by abusing the same system that killed my dad. Yeah, she was a good choice. Bunny I felt no sympathy towards. I couldn't tell how much he was involved, but he had killed an innocent nonetheless, and that was good enough for me. Dragon was supposed to be Oliver Bowen. The reason for his spot on my list should be obvious. Snake was supposed to be Anna Redd. Look at her history and she's done a ton of shady poo poo in the corporate world, so there's just cause for throwing her in. She was also close with Amadeus, so she could possibly spill some info. Horse was a pick I was... unsure about, but I thought he might stir things up. His past was definitely hosed up enough to warrant throwing him in the death game. He was also contracted by Amadeus, so I thought he might spill some info in the heat of things. Sheep was a pure revenge pick. She was the one who threw my father under the bus. She was a coward. She was pathetic. She was also Amadeus' secretary, and the one with a lot of opportunity to do any number of things. I wasn't sure if she was the real killer, or an accomplice, or... if she was even involved in some way. But I had no hesitation in throwing her in. Monkey was supposed to be the Chief Prosecutor. If Ox wasn't corrupt, she certainly was. If she wasn't corrupt, Ox was. But, most likely... they were both in on it. Rooster was going to be the head of this newspaper company. They'd be put in for the same reason I put in Pig. They were a tool used to slander and kill an innocent man. They deserved punishment, but they were also one of the ones more likely to break rank and say something they shouldn't. Finally, there's Dog. I was unsure about Dog. But I knew he knew more than he ever let on. And that alone was enough of a sin for me. ...Who knows. If he ever decided to sit down with me, to really talk things out and explain everything from his point of view... maybe things could have played out very differently.What are your thoughts on how everything played out?  There's a lot to regret, obviously. Looking back on it now, I'm pretty sad I died. That part was... very unnecessary. I feel stupid, looking at how Jae used me. I feel stupid that Ethan, my main target, I was never even suspicious of. I feel bad that I got so many innocent people involved. Dog and Pig both died. And while I hold contempt for both of them, I can see now that neither of them probably deserved that. So yeah, things didn't go perfectly. But you know? I was right. Because of me, Jae's dead. Ethan's caught. Hightower's on fire, and my father's name is being cleared. And, really... that's just what I wanted. Could things have gone better? Sure. But to complain too much would just be whiney. I got what I wanted. That's good enough for me.No more questions. So... is this finally the end?...unfortunately not, for there's one final update, one final shred of information that you can only get by completing the game without using the hints, like “Themis” said...
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Jun 2, 2023 15:16
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  Did you hear the news? Yeah, yeah, about poor poor poor Ms. Hansen. Aw. Look how she ended up. I liked her, I really did. Yeah, no, I met her when I visited Hightower. That place reeked to high heaven. Smelled the exact scent of our dear pawn pushing pal. Thought I'd sew a little chaos, as a gift... But after digging around a little, turns out no, this place was being run by this hack called 'Amadeus'. ...Yeah, absolutely no relation. Really killed my buzz. Anyways, while I was there, I met with our would-be mastermind. I don't know how I do it, how I do it all the time, really, I impress myself. I have a nose for this sort of thing. But even though our meeting was brief, I got into a pretty deep conversation with her. I could sense the darkness inside her. She was perfect. We exchanged contact info, and I promised I'd see her before too long. And from there, well... maybe I did wait 'too long'. What can I say, I was busy! Time flies when you're having fun. But I did plan on coming back for her, promise. I really did plan to make her one of my Monkeys. And yet, it's quite ironic. Because while I was gone, all on her own... she made herself her own Monkey. But she was a Monkey under her own control. And look how that ended up for her. I guess that's what happens when someone like that goes without a leadership like mine. ...Oh, I know you already know this. You've always been my most reliable. Anyways, looking into her story, it's clear she wasn't a huge loss. The technical skill was there, but she lacked the art of it all. A shame, nonetheless. ...Moving on... We've had our fun for quite some time, and you know I love having fun. But if we want to keep having fun, well, we've got to rid ourselves of the forces that seek to smother us. ...Right. It's time to take an earnest shot at them. But don't worry about it! They've hardly been handling us when we were just messing with them. Do you really think they stand a chance when we get serious?
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Jun 2, 2023 15:17
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Oooh, spooky. I take it that's the sequel hook? Seems weirdly unconnected?
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Jun 2, 2023 18:38
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Well that's interesting. Obvious sequel hook aside, wonder how well the original Zodiac Trial would have gone down. Obviously Brian didn't know all the connections going on (he was ultimately wrong about Bunny, for instance). And the only mention of Anna Redd that I could find was in the Ace Ending, where she's just mentioned as an 'associate' of Bowen. Also it really feels like the writers didn't know what to do with Horse. His connection to the game is sloppy, and even the masterminds acknowledge that. Feels like he was just added in as a plot device to either end routes quickly or just for some threats of intimidation. Also based off all this, I guess Brian kidnapped most of the group (we know he caught Dog, at least) and then Monkey either persuaded him to switch the targets to Mouse/Dragon/Snake and plant herself and Rooster before killing him, or she killed him and kidnapped them herself. Makes sense actually, he had no reason to go after Mouse or Dragon, and he was actually friendly with Snake. I also wonder if there was any deliberate choice for Monkey to replace those specific targets. I guess she wanted to keep enough powerful people alive as puppets in case she had to off the participants, and Tiger was the only real famous person among the cast (maybe Pig too).
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Jun 2, 2023 19:26
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Brian and Monkey's goals were at odds all along; Brian primarily wanted the truth to come to light (and also the chance for revenge against anyone genuinely corrupt) and was willing to sacrifice everything for it, Monkey wanted to use the blackmail for an easy life and eliminate anyone who could prevent that. She almost certainly killed Brian in part because he'd never have continued the game with her replacements; also I'd be willing to bet she wanted some of the more powerful people left out so she could blackmail them later. Can't make the chief of police and head prosecutor dance to your tune if they're dead, after all.
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Jun 2, 2023 20:49
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I meant to mention this when I posted the updates but got distracted (whoops), but while it's going to be a couple weeks before I start the next LP there is, believe it or not, a vote we have to do before the LP's even started - and this is one that's going to set the tone for the LP as a whole. It's a very simple question, one without any context, any explanation, or any other metric by which your answer could be biased as far as the second game goes... but it's possibly going to pay off big in the long run. Do you think the next game's ending will be a happy ending?
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Jun 2, 2023 21:13
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| # ? May 4, 2024 00:23 |
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Mix. posted:I meant to mention this when I posted the updates but got distracted (whoops), but while it's going to be a couple weeks before I start the next LP there is, believe it or not, a vote we have to do before the LP's even started - and this is one that's going to set the tone for the LP as a whole. Yes.
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Jun 2, 2023 21:15
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